Tales of the Dark Woods Circus
by aimsknight06
Summary: A collection of the stories originating from the Vocaloid songs in the Dark Woods Circus.
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

The Dark forest on the edges of the town were quite unwelcoming. Trees as tall as a giant towered in the routes, blocking the moonlight. Sounds of the wild unknown stretched far and wide, frightening off any outsiders. These woods held the old stories of the ones with giraffe legs, werewolves, and most frightening of all, the Master of Dark Forest.

The people around the town were quite suspicious of Dark Forest. There came to many regulations and curfews restricting activity after dusk fell. But as these superstitions were proved to be groundless overtime, the more contemporary generations soon wiped it clean from their memory.

Being the poor little hamlet the town was, they welcomed any form of trade or tourism. The town was appropriately named Dark Forest Town. In an effort to attract revenues, they put together vaudeville entertainment and called it The Dark Woods Circus.

Sadly, few saw the show for any worth and the little village dwindled on the edge of eternal poverty. People moved out of the sad little place, hoping for lives elsewhere. They took all they had with them. Shoes, rugs, mattresses. They didn't really have a lot. Pianos, bed frames, lockets.

The older generations stayed, from fear of the outer worlds. Newer generations tried to coax them with tales of cities paved with gold and nonexistent hunger. Nonetheless, many stayed behind to guard the place of their origin.

History is blurry. As time transiently passed over the quiet town, things became silent. A little ghost town sat in the forest until the forest ate it up. Whatever left of the town now exists only in foreign records, as there were no detailed primary texts. The descendents have long forgotten the tale of the Dark Forest Town that exists now only in their great grandparents deepest memories.

The surrounding villages carried on with their own business until one day, a woodcutter came back with a fascinating tale.

"Where the long-gone Dark Forest Town stood, now stands a tent,

One of marvelous entities and mystery."

People were slow to follow on at first, but eventually, some went and returned with tales just as outrageous and glamorous as the last. Human curiosity ought to be a sin.

Soon the name of Dark Wood Circus spread across the region. Adults found it seemingly appropriate to rename the Dark Forest "Dark Woods".

The circus always opened with this curious theme sung by it's partakers"

_Deep in the Forest, far far in the back that way_

_There is a circus_

_The chairman with big eyes_

_and ten meters tall_

_All the cast is jolly_

_Their forms are rather strange but so fun!_

_The Dark Woods Circus_


	2. Chapter 2: Little Red Doll

Little Meiko had always bee known as a clumsy, obedient girl.

"Do the laundry today." "Do the dishes for me." "Get me some cake."

She'd been taught by her mother that a girl ought not be heard but seen serving. Such faithfulness was sure to be rewarded, she learned.

In the little town, boredom was a killer. Children were rumored to have wandered off into obscurity, lost forever. Whatever the story, the child was always bored from being home alone and wandered off into the nearby Dark Woods, leaving a note.

Yet, the unreasonable parents of the little town of brick were not very smart. They continued to leave the house, you see, and their children to fend for themselves. The town post was stuffed with missing notices, and more warnings to bored children were made.

Little Meiko hardly knew where her parents always left to. She'd stand for hours in the lonely house watching her shadow. On the days of boredom relapse, she went to the local healer, whose stories for children relieved their sense of mundane perpetuation.

The old, crooked woman whistled themes from her chipped teeth as she told of stories passed down from the village history. She also occasionally gave treats to the children. Meiko was so happy when she received a handmade pouch with her name stitched onto it's rim.

"Today's story is 'The Dark Woods Circus'." The children oohed and ahhed in response.

"There once existed a sad little child, deformed and thrown away by his parents. He sought a home and wandered into the domain of the old Dark Forest Town..."

Meiko couldn't help but relate to the poor boy in the story.

"The town, children, was once the grounds of a circus. The boy, starving and hungry ventured to the long forgotten borders of the town and the Dark Woods."

The Dark Woods was a place of omen. It was regarded with utmost avoidance, but it was not particularly scary to anyone.

"As you know, the Woods are vast. In fact, they even reach us, out here! But anyway, the boy suddenly was overshadowed. When he looked up, he saw up the legs of a giant. There were two, and they circled a flag overlooking the tops of trees."

"How tall were they?" a little boy quipped.

"Almost as tall as the sky... And they were dressed in fine clothing, the silver and gold-haired giants... Oh yes, silks, stripes..." The children listened in awe.

"They let the boy through; took pity on him. Inside, he saw the most dazzling and marvelous sights one could to see. Strange people, deformities, ah yes... And then came the ringleader."

The mention of the 'ringleader' strangely sent shivers down Meiko's back. She felt a strange sensation as though eyes were watching her unawares.

"He was a short squat man. He was dressed in the reddest of material, and held the little boy's hands."

"He spoke softly, 'Child, we have been waiting for you.'"

"The little boy could not believe it. He joined the strange little circus. And to this day, the circus remains, deep in the woods, waiting for children."

The children instantly began to jabber about the story.

"The ringleader sounds like a bad guy, huh?"

"How I'd love to go see those sights!"

"I want the ringleader himself to come take me away!"

The old healer had the children promise they would not tell their parents of the tale they just heard.

…

Later that night, Meiko's parents returned home. She had laid out dinner, and they sat to eat.

"Mommy?" Meiko picked at her potatoes, "Have you ever been to a circus?"

Her mother put down her fork and exchanged glances with the father.

"Why do you ask, child?"

"... I should think I'd like to see a show one day."

"Nonsense. Those are unfit for the eyes of children. You're better off staying home, Meiko."

Meiko indignantly puffed up her cheeks, "I'm tired of staying at home! If you don't take me to a show, maybe I'll wander off like the others!"

Her parents instantly stopped eating. Her father told her to leave the table in a hoarse, firm voice. Meiko obeyed and threw a fit in her room.

The next day, her parents unexpectedly told her to put on a cute red dress. 'We're going out'. Meiko couldn't believe her ears. Her parents were complying with her wish! She hurriedly rushed to get ready.

They rode a stagecoach and Meiko watched eagerly all the way to the gates of a town. She happily skipped across cobblestones marveling and absorbing the sights. She ran too quick and lost sight of her parents.

"Mama? Papa?" Meiko looked around nervously at the rush of trampling feet and traveling bodies. It was so strange and unfamiliar. But she did not cry. She merely continued to wander at a meandering pace.

Suddenly, a carriage barreled through the street. Meiko saw a passenger wink from the window as it passed. She looked at her hands to find a flier. The passenger must have slipped it in her absence of mind. She looked it over curiously:

_Come one, come all,_

_To the sensational show of _

_the Dark Woods Circus!_

_Free for children below 12 years of age_

Meiko had merely turned ten. Her heart jumped with excitement as she realized she may be able to go to the circus after all. Happy and curious, she began to walk slowly down the street.

The address at the bottom of the flier led her to a crowd of people moving in and out of the town borders. Some were going in, others had seen what there was and left. Meiko followed the herd entering and saw a large pair of pants hanging down, shadowing some pointed shoes that stood by the circus tent entrance. She followed the tall legs up and saw curiously disproportionate bodies atop the giant legs.

"The giants..." She whispered beneath her breath.

And they truly were as the healer had described them. Clothed in the strangest but most extravagant of clothing, it stood and looked down discerningly at the crowd of bustling patrons. This giant had silver hair underneath her (or his) big striped hat. Meiko gingerly touched the pant legs of monochrome color stripes. The cloth was stiff, yet silky.

A second golden haired giant lumbered near and leaned to whisper something into the silver one's ear. Meiko left them to their conversation and proceeded to entering the main tent.

But a twinge stopped her from entering. A twinge of caution. Something told her to leave, run away as fast as she could, before the chance disappeared.

Just as she was hesitating, a beckoning figure appeared beside her. It was a strange sight to behold. Two blonde heads, one a boy, and one a girl, were attached to the came trunk which branched from the main body clothed in a yellow cloth. The girl's head had a white ribbon tied around, and the boy had a short ponytail. Meiko noticed the girl had red eyes.

The boy held put his hand and smiled. Meiko could not resist the temptation. The red-eyed girl swiveled her head awkwardly as they made pace towards a tent on the side. The feeling in Meiko's stomach disappeared.

The tent was murky dark, and there was a strange smell exuding from everywhere. Meiko felt the touch slip from her hands and realized that she was all alone. The light of the outside did not penetrate this tent. She was lost.

But a small ray attracted her to a wall. There was a small peephole that eroded into the rotten wood board. On the other side, she could see a crowd of people, all smiling jovially. She couldn't find her parents. They must not have come.

There was suddenly a loud clanking of heavy iron chains. A small, squat, pot-bellied man in red and striped pants stepped onto the stage. He tipped his tall hat courteously to the audience. Meiko glimpsed gray and brown hair. The clinking came from his associates, who were dragging a heavily chained blue haired male onto the ring. A sudden spotlight shone on him.

"Now, Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the cannibal..." As the ring master spoke fervently, the two workers undid some of the chains. Meiko saw that a chain tied from around his neck connecting to the small of the back and split there onto a clasp under the ears. It was wearing some kind of heavy duty straight jacket.

"...rumored to have been the one to devour an entire village in a single night..."

The exhibit turned his head Meiko's way. She made a small gasp as she saw his horrid, mad, raving eyes. There was the clasp that clung around his face. When they undid this, the people gasped at his sudden wolf-like howl and wolf-like teeth. He then began to use his elbows and knees, constrained in the straitjacket, to attempt to crawl to the crowd. The two workers kept onto his chain. He couldn't get any further than the ring edge, where he snarled and snapped as people spat, jeered, and threw trash at him.

"...The Dog Man!" The ringmaster announced with final vigor. The crowd roared with approving laughter. Then Meiko realized that the man was in a state of an animal mind. She shivered slightly as he struggled and bloody froth began to form as he raved about madly. The ringmaster snapped his fingers and the associates dragged away Dog Man at the cue.

"For our next piece of entertainment..." The ringmaster clapped his hands as the spotlight split in two, one facing the right supporting pole, and another to the back opening of the tent.

From the tent ceiling, as if suspended by magic, a flowery swing descended. A young girl with curly red hair sat on the seat, her doll like face adorned with pink flowers. From the tent flap, the same two headed person emerged, smiling. Meiko could now see that the boy had strange markings running up from his neck. He was smiling nonchalantly as he held a candelabra in one hand, while the girl's head laughed lightheartedly, juggling balls in the other hand.

"The Siamese Twins and the Doll girl!"

The audience showed weakness, but nonetheless, they cheered and screamed insults at the deformities.

Slightly frowning, the Ringmaster declared the Doll girl would sing. The flowery swing added an effect by shaking several petals loose, showering the tent interior, as if casting a spell. The Doll girl's voice was light and soothing:

_It's painful, It's Painful_

_I say,_

_But still, the show, this circus must go on!_

The crowd roars with laughter. The thought of deformities feeling pain was laughable. Meiko thought she saw some tattered skin beneath the flowers the Doll wore over her right eye. She also must have imagined the tear that leaked out.

The Siamese Twins paraded around the ring, dodging rotten fruit thrown at them from the seats. The girl smiled at the animosity. The boy was clearly annoyed, but kept a stiff tongue.

Under the Ringmaster's orders, the two disappeared from the spot light. He pulled on his succulent mustache, grinning at the crowd.

"And now, for our newest addition, one of the mythical beasts I'm sure you have all heard of..."

There was a long suspense as a creaking of rolling wheels ensued. A large covered cage was pulled beside the ringmaster. He gleefully baited the crowd as he prepared to take off the covers. Meiko held her breath.

"A CHIMERA!"

With great charisma, he flung away the red cloth, revealing bars of wrought steel, and within, a girl.

She had beautiful turquoise hair that was crowned by two strange metal pieces extruding out of the sides of her head. She was blindfolded, and fettered by numerous restraints. Meiko could see that the metal vaguely resembled a gear and a twisted rod of a horn.

The Ringmaster led the cages to the spot closest to the crowd. They took one look and all of them responded expectantly. Some laughed, others cursed and threw more rotten food. It smacked against the bars, which suddenly seemed so weak before the mounting audience of insurgents.

"More like a DEFORMED DIVA!" Some one shouted.

The chimera opened her mouth to cry. It was an inhuman sound no one seemed to notice as it was drowned in a wave of spite. The Ringmaster raised both his hands in triumph and the roaring only grew louder. Meiko found herself clapping in spite of her self.

…

The darkness was unchanging as the workers left the tent. Meiko had hidden among some hay in the storage tent with the caged exhibits. She took this time to get a closer look at these "creatures".

The first cage she ventured to was the Dog man. He was in a cage and tightly bound head to toe. The metal clasp was replaced with several leather bands that locked his mouth. Froth still leaked from the gag as he bored at her from his prison with bloodshot eyes.

The Doll hung from a ceiling enclosed in a huge bird cage that accommodated with a flowery perch. She looked down at Meiko with her good eye and smiled in a sad, cruel way. Meiko felt pity for her, for she was so beautiful and ugly. Suddenly, a crack could be heard as the doll's neck broke in two. Her head banged against the bars of the cage and the body slumped a bit. The head's flowers fell daintily, revealing a horribly corroded face that was once whole and beautiful. Meiko's eyes widened as she took a step back.

She backed right into the bars of the chimera cage. The Chimera lay pitifully on the cage floor. Her arms were bound behind her by heavy chains that linked with her legs to a lock about the cage. Meiko saw her beautifully black webbed dress underneath all the rope and chains. The figure writhed weakly and Meiko saw the burns and scars that riddled her exposed shoulder. A blindfold and a tight gag concealed most of her face. It must have been punishment for crying out during the performance.

Meiko's hand quickly flew to her mouth. She felt sick. The eyes of the Doll stared at her from behind bars, and the Chimera's writhing was like that of a broken old woman... pleading... crying...

A flap of the tent suddenly distracted Meiko's distress. She spun around to see the Siamese Twins standing at the entrance. The girl casually smiled. The boy wore a pained expression on his face. At this distance, Meiko could now see that they both had riddled burns covering the convergence of the necks.

They slipped past her and, to Meiko's surprise, easily opened the cage. With gentle fingers, the Twins undid a majority of the restraints. Chains fell loudly to the floor as Meiko watched in awe. At last, the boy pulled off the lacey blindfold in a flourish and everything was silent.

Meiko gazed with amazement at the lapis luzili irises that hadn't seen light in so long. The Chimera blinked to her friend. The girl twin playfully teased the saturnine boy's face, repeatedly poking him. Despite his other head, the boy leaned in and kissed the chimera on the cheek. Meiko had to stifle a strange sound that was neither laughter nor amazement.

Suddenly, she felt a breeze from behind, lifting her skirts. The expressions on the caged faces suddenly turned fearful and several of the other freaks began to squawk and cause a loud uproar.

There at the entrance stood the Ringmaster.

He glanced over Meiko, barely noticing her, to the birdcage where the broken Doll laid on the cage floor. He fingered his mustache, amused.

"So... We have lost one, eh?"

Meiko felt those lights-for-eyes peeking out under the shadow of the brimmed hat focus on her.

"We have been waiting long for a new Doll, haven't we?"

An uproar of consent exploded from the darkest reaches in the darkness. Meiko felt paralyzed as she realized with dread what was happening.

Dark tentacled shadows snaked fro the Ringmaster's cape and enveloped her in a murky blackness. She couldn't scream, her throat was paralyzed with fear. Behind the wall of writhing shadow, the Ringmaster cracked a crazy grin beneath his mustache.

"Welcome to the Dark Wood Circus."

…

If you go to the little town formed by travelers always following the Dark Woods Circus, you will find many others like you coming to see the show. If you are lucky, you may get a special offer from the new little helper from the circus. She wears a red dress and has flowers decorating her brown-haired head. Her pale skin has earned her the name of "Doll". She looks at you with little black eyes as she hands you a flier. A wind suddenly blows and you see strange markings covering her face. Before you get the chance to speak, she flies away with the wind. Like a flower. On the floor, beside your feet, you find a small pouch that is for little girls. It looks handmade. On the rim, the letters stitched in are forming a name, one that is unfamiliar.

"Meiko"


End file.
